Over the past thirty years, the blood-brain barrier has been an increasingly active area of investigation and a great deal has been learned, particularly from an anatomical and physiological point of view. However, as important as the cerebral vasculature and its role in blood- brain transport is to brain function, very little is known at the molecular level about the macromolecules responsible for transport, the roles played by vascular wall components (endothelial cell, pericyte, smooth muscle, basement membrane), the mechanisms regulating blood-brain protein expression, or their molecular alterations during development and disease. The overall objectives of the Cerebral Vascular Biology (CVB) conference are: 1) to examine the results of research in this field using new approaches involving cellular and molecular technology, 2) to provide a forum in a conducive environment for creation of new and fresh insights into the function and regulation of the brain vascular wall, and 3) to foster the participation of trainees, new investigators, and experts in the field in an open and free exchange of their views and ideas. To achieve these objectives, a three-day conference will be conducted at Fitger's Inn (conference center) in Duluth, Minnesota, on July 11-13, 1992. Two reasons make this meeting especially timely. First, the importance of cellular and molecular approaches to studying the brain vasculature is being increasingly recognized by neuroscientists. Second, there has not been an international meeting specifically on the blood-brain barrier since a satellite symposium in France following Brain 89 (Bologna, Italy). A Scientific Advisory Committee of internationally recognized experts if formulating the final scientific program. Key participants in the conference will include scientists who are identified by the Committee to have new and novel findings to report and whose studies are consistent with the objectives of the scientific program, and whose research is of the highest standard of quality. The audience will consist primarily of scientists (both M.D. and Ph.D.) who are conducting basic research on transport mechanisms in the cerebral vasculature. The estimated number of registrants is between 50 and 100 and cost estimates are based on a registration of 75. The preliminary program provides for 33 platform presentations. In the event that substantially more abstracts are submitted, a parallel series of poster sessions will be incorporated to accommodate the excess. The scientific community is being informed about this conference by direct mail and by announcements in neuroscience journals. A quick and effective means of disseminating the proceedings of the conference to the scientific community is being sought. Ideally, an arrangement with a publisher will allow submission of a group of short (3-4 pages) papers that will be peer-reviewed and published as a special issue or supplement to an existing journal.